Drivers

Roadcheck Results Differ Little From Last Year

The percentage of trucks put out of service during the three-day, continent-wide truck inspection blitz known as Roadcheck fell only slightly this year from 2013, while the driver figure edged higher.

Of the 73,475 total inspections conducted June 3 through June 5, 49,656, or 67.6%, were the most thorough Level I. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance reports that 23%, or about 11,420, resulted in out-of-service vehicle violations, compared to 24.1% in 2013.

There were fewer total inspections during lsat year's event, 70,023, with 47,771 being the Level I variety.

In contrast, this year there were more driver inspections, with a total of 72,415, compared to 71,630 last year. This includes those conducted during all levels of inspections. In driver inspections, 4.8% this year were found with OOS violations, slightly higher than last year’s rate of 4.3%.

There were 825 seatbelt violations issued this year compared to nearly 900 the year earlier.

In addition to the Level I Inspections, Roadcheck 2014 also placed special emphasis on hazardous materials/dangerous goods regulatory compliance. A total of 5,738 inspections were included this category during this year’s event, with 919, or 16%, found with vehicle OOS violations and 172, or 3%. with driver OOS violations.

During last year's Roadcheck, CVSA said 49.6% of vehicle OOS violations were related to brake adjustment and other brake system violations; however, it did not disclose such numbers for this year in a release issued Thursday afternoon.

CVSA, which represents commercial vehicle safety officers and trucking industry safety officials, estimates for this year’s Roadcheck more than 10,000 CVSA and FMCSA inspectors participated at approximately 2,500 locations across North America. On an annual basis, nearly 4 million inspections are conducted across the continent, according to a CVSA estimate.

“The 73,000 inspections that were completed during Roadcheck this year send a strong message to drivers and trucking companies alike that safety is our top priority,” said outgoing FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro. “Together, FMCSA and our law enforcement partners nationwide are committed to saving lives on our roadways and raising the bar for safety in the commercial trucking industry nationwide.”

Since its inception in 1988, Roadcheck inspections have numbered more than 1.4 million, resulting in an estimated 318 lives saved and 5,840 injuries avoided, according to CVSA.